


Hospital Care

by Jammy



Category: Neopets
Genre: AU, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst, Anyways, Comfort, Crying, Drug Use, Family, Hospital, Hospitalization, Implied Drug Abuse, M/M, Pregnancy, Suicide, Suicide Attempt, but this isn't a story about that, drug suicide, friends - Freeform, hooooly shit there's a fuck ton of angst, if that's a tag too, modern day AU, oh and there's
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-06
Updated: 2017-04-06
Packaged: 2018-10-15 08:38:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,205
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10553346
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jammy/pseuds/Jammy
Summary: What the hell happened tonight?He remembers coming home early, realizing that something was wrong the very minute he noticed that the front door was unlocked. Kanrik remembers that he took hurried steps into the living room and then his body was just. There. On the floor.Oh god. Oh god this can't be real...





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [werelupewoods](https://archiveofourown.org/users/werelupewoods/gifts).



> Ooooooookay, so! Uh, Em [y'know, werelupewoods] wrote this post a few days ago, with pretty much the most painful thing I've ever seen on tumblr and I've been thinking about it for DAYS. 
> 
> Then, guess what? I dreamed about this story thing last night, I woke up this morning crying my eyes out and I remembered thinking: "I just HAVE to write this out" so that's what I did on and off all day today. //puts face in hands// I'm sorry I wrote this out....so now that it's finally finished I have to go hit the hay 'cause I work a hell shift later on today. 
> 
> ~~P.S- Tea, if you're reading this: DO NOT READ THIS BEFORE GOING TO WORK. PLZKTHNX~~
> 
> Anyways, here's wonderwall.

“I’m so sorry uncle, I really am—but I’m also very thankful that you and uncle Cal came--”

 

“Hush my son, it’s alright, you have no reason to be sorry.” Kanrik forces an intake of air before stopping himself from taking anymore steps in the hallway, his eyes are practically glued to the white tile floor that smells like unknown chemicals and medicines. The squeaking that came from Nickolas’ shoes as he continued walking finally stopped for a moment, then started up again as he took the few steps over to rest a hand on his shoulder which shook gently with each small gasp of air. The young gelert shuts his eyes tightly, trying to push back the very image of finding his dear boyfriend on the floor in their home. Unconscious, his body limp on the floor with two bottles of medications besides him, his eyes rolled to the back of his head. He was certain he was dead. _Certain_. Kanrik’s eyes opened again when someone had wrapped their arms around him, it was not a surprise that it was Nickolas looking just as concerned as he was for Jenner’s safety. When Kanrik had called Nickolas for help he immediately handed the phone to his husband and it was Cathal who had told him what numbers to call, what signs to look for from Jenner, what specific information to tell the paramedics, all the while Nickolas prepared everything they needed to get all the way to meet them at the hospital. While Nickolas and Cathal drove all the way there Kanrik stayed in the back of the ambulance with Jenner and the paramedics.

 

The whole experience was all surreal, it was as if he was in a drama and the whole moment was moving in nothing but clips of scenes. He remembers the door was already open from when he had rushed in so the paramedics ran in without having to knock on the door, they asked hundreds of questions and Kanrik was able to answer every single one _only_ because he had answered them already with Cathal over the phone so he had them pretty much memorized at this point. He remembers them taking Jenner’s vitals and hurriedly moving him onto the gurney and allowing him to jump into the ambulance _only_ because he absolutely _refused_ to leave Jenner’s side, he remembers the very first signs of his boyfriend’s consciousness was just him getting sick all over, and he remembers crying— _ **a lot**_ of crying—he didn’t stop, even when the paramedics pleaded him to, even when Nickolas and Cathal had met with him in the ER and all hugged each other close as Jenner disappeared beyond the double doors.

 

It was all in scenes. Things made sense, and a lot more things didn’t make sense.

 

But the fear was still there. Fear and the suffocating smell of medicine.

 

Kanrik hated the hospital, actually, so did Jenner, but it was bad for him because he had to come here a lot growing up since his older sister was always in and out of it. The sicker she became with her heart condition the more he became a resident like she, because just like all this with Jenner, he absolutely refused to leave her side. Being that Nickolas would volunteer in meeting patients at different hospitals, to pray with them and keep them company, it was no doubt that he would see the hospital as a place for healing. But a little part of him wonders, just what his thoughts were now. Did he still see them as a place for healing? Or did he see hospitals just as he did? A place for the sick and injured. Kanrik looks up finally, his eyes widen in horror as he sees the tears that are streaming down his uncle’s pale cheeks.

 

“Uncle--” it was scary to see your father figure crying, he knew that Nickolas was a sensitive and caring man but he’s _never_ in his life seen him cry from pain. Usually even a good joke was enough to make the older gelert bawl with streams of tears, but this time his uncle is looking as though he had seen the same thing that he’s seen. He might’ve? He wasn’t sure if Nickolas or Cathal got a good look at Jenner when they were wheeling him in, but it didn’t really matter, Nickolas whispers hushes to his nephew through the tears, hurriedly wiping them with a free hand because he held a book in the other.

 

“I-It’s ok, Arlen. Everything’s ok now—I’m relieved that’s all, since they finally got him administered he’ll be just fine now.” Nickolas sighs trying his best to wipe the rest of the tears that ran down his own face and then the ones that were on his nephew’s cheeks, a more profound smile on his face as he tries to help Kanrik calm down. “Don’t mind me, it’s just—relief, and mood swings.” Right...right he’d almost forgotten about…

 

“You can go home if you like,” Kanrik said trying to ignore the horrified expression that came upon the taller gelert’s face, “you need the rest, it’s already so late in the evening. You said so yourself that the doctors stabilized him already and they said that he should be waking up soon--” ‘Then I’m going to stay and make sure that he _does_ wake up’ Nickolas stated mater of fact, the small reassuring grin came back to his face and both nephew and uncle began to walk down the long white hallways together. At the same time Nickolas mentions that it’d be better than not to leave Cathal by himself with Jenner for so long in the first place, because after he wakes up he might pull some of his dark humor. “Really? Isn’t this the time you really shouldn’t be—uh—you know…?”

 

“Your uncle--” Nickolas stopped himself from walking right when they got outside of Jenner’s room, the blonde gelert looks down off to the side, as if contemplating if it was the best thing to tell his nephew the justifications for Cathal’s weird coping mechanism but he decides not to. When he looks up he sees the questionable glance from Kanrik and he smiles softly against it, “--it’s nothing, your uncle just...used to get into a _**lot**_ of trouble when he was your age. Well, actually, I should say when he was just a little older than yourself. He had some very unhealthy habits, but it’s a long story that’s not even mine to tell.” Nickolas knocks on the door and looks over at Kanrik with a surprised glance once the both of them hear a little bit of talking and then an answer from a familiar voice from inside, welcoming them to enter. Kanrik was the first to hurry in with Nickolas just a few steps behind them, inside the small hospital room Jenner was laying in bed, heavy bags under his slightly opened eyes and his hands collapsed together as an IV of fluids are attached to the back of one of them. Cathal was sitting in one of the two small love seats besides the bed, upon seeing Kanrik and Nickolas coming in he smiles and gestures a hand over to Jenner.

 

“And he lives!”

 

“ _ **Cathal**_.” Nickolas scolds in a harsh whisper delivering a quick slap to the back of the Christmas Gelert’s head with his hand, though his husband just laughs it off, and to Nickolas and Kanrik’s relief Jenner chuckles along with the darker colored gelert.

 

“It’s ok Nick, his statement’s correct after all.” Kanrik hurries over to the other seat, scooting it over so that he was able to lean against the bed and be besides the grey gelert. Jenner looks over at Kanrik and he can’t help but be at a loss for words, especially because Cathal has told him just what happened after he had lost consciousness…and when he tried to regain it, but he can’t help but not know what to say when he looks over at this young gelert besides him and he doesn’t see that snarky grin he usually has on his face, and he sees his eyes aren’t just green with their pupils, but red and puffy from crying so much when he had been in that dark unknown place.

 

He couldn’t remember what it was he was feeling, or, if he was feeling anything at all besides dread. But now his body is absolutely hating him, making him feel sick even though there was no longer anything in his stomach, any and every muscle throbbing with pain all over or aching joints and bones—and his thoughts...they had to be the worst, his thoughts weren’t so dark as they were before because honestly he’s surprised that there was this many people here with him. But at the same time, the thoughts were becoming dark because these people here, were his friends—no—his family that cared about him, and he…he did this… Jenner manages to smile, somehow, and raise one of his hands up so he can brush the back of his fingers against Kanrik’s scarred cheek and then slide his fingers through Kanrik’s messy hair. He would usually do this, he would let his fingers run through the tussled locks on his boyfriend’s head in a vain attempt to make it sort of neater, and, to his surprise it was making him feel a little better. It was making him feel…normal again.

 

“You ok?” Kanrik asks pulling Jenner’s hand so that it leaves his hair before resting it against his own cheek, Jenner nods his head, unsure what to say. What _can_ he say? It’s bad enough that there were times that Kanrik had seen him lose himself in his darker thoughts—or his nightmares at night, but here—just a few hours ago, he had seen him dead. Literally dead. He had come home early hoping that they were able to share some more time together, only to find him doing this, or, attempting to end himself.

 

“Well, they’re trying to feed him here at least.” Cathal answered in Jenner’s place and he flinches at the other smack to the back of his shoulder coming from Nickolas, the Christmas gelert gets up from his seat then with another small fit of chuckles, offering it to the taller blonde and though Nickolas refuses at first Cathal convinces him to sit so he does. “The nurses said that he should be ok to take liquids, y’know, they want to make sure he can keep it down and all that stuff.” Cathal shudders at an unknown thought and looks over to Jenner, “So if I’m right—and most of the time I am—they’re probably gonna bring you some soup that tastes like it’s been sitting in a pot full of shoes for like, five and a half hours--”

 

“Cal!” Nickolas scolds again and Cathal raises his hands up, as if to surrender and motion that he has more to say.

 

“I was gonna head down to the hospital’s cafeteria and pick up some pudding, it’s a little thicker but still considered a liquid in this damn place. So what’ll it be, Jenry? Chocolate pudding? Butterscotch? Vanilla?” Jenner shakes his head slowly, though he knows for a fact that he doesn’t really have a choice because there was no use and refusing to eat while being in the hospital—especially since Cathal was here and is still the crowned _king_ of trying to get him to eat something. The grey gelert mentions that as long as it’s not chocolate he can pick whatever flavor to ‘surprise’ him, Cathal nods his head and smiles a little more sincere. “Alright, I’ll be sure not to get any of those fuckin’ weird flavores like—chocolate chip cookie or something.”

 

“No, but I’ll take it.” Kanrik says looking up over to his uncle, Nickolas smiles and comments that he’ll take one as well if there was that ‘chocolate chip’ flavored pudding, Cathal couldn’t resist the urge to make a disgusted face.

 

“Ok, I get why _**Kanrik**_ likes that shit, but, Nicko—please, think of the baby.”

 

“I am Cal, and the baby wants some ‘natural and artificially flavored’ chocolate chip cookie pudding.” Nickolas laughs seeing his husband raise his hands over his head to give up in arguing over the pudding flavors, seeing that it was pointless to try to win this battle over a craving spouse. Jenner peeks over at Kanrik who’s just looking down and playing with their fingers, interlacing and then unlacing them over and over gently in their grasps then back to Nickolas who decides to move his chair a little closer to the hospital bed as well. He asks just how far along things are with the baby. “Twenty weeks, three days—at least, that’s what my journal says.”

 

“Ah, you’re a little more than half-way there, I mean, I think that’s how it goes.” Jenner grins looking back over to Kanrik and gently squeezing his fingers, making the young gelert look up, Kanrik smiles softly and turns back to twiddling their fingers together, though it helps Jenner a little bit because he knows that if he fidgets then it will only make the family worry even more, the concern that he has for Kanrik and his lack of conversation had to be what was bugging him the most. Especially since Kanrik always had something to say, almost like Cathal, except—well—no, no he was right, just like Cathal they would talk even if no one else wants to hear them. “Kani, are you ok?”

 

“I should be asking _you_ that.” Kanrik says quickly though he shuts his mouth the moment he looks up and sees Jenner’s soft expression, he sighs, leaning forward to rest his cheek on their hands and he nods slowly. “I’m fine Jenry, sorry I…I just want to help you, that’s all. But I don’t know how.” his eyes close again and he’s wishing that they were home together, they’re not in some white foreign room that’s cloaked with the smell of IV fluids and other hidden medicines, they’re in the comfort of their own bed together, not a room with strange sheets and the cold air caressing their necks. Everything is fine, everything is warm, everyone is safe.

 

“You _are_ helping, dearest.” Jenner whispers running his fingers through Kanrik’s tussled hair again, the younger gelert sighs and buries his face in the sheets, probably trying to hide his face and calm himself down from all that he had seen. It pains him to see Kanrik so anxious, so eager to help but lost at how to do so…and he feels extremely bad for bringing this upon him. “I...um...”

 

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence.” Kanrik’s threat came out muffled because his face was still in the sheets, though he didn’t bother to look up and confront the awkwardness either, Jenner understands completely and he looks over to Nickolas who is just staring down off at—something. His brows are clearly furrowed with worry and his hands are comfortably resting against his slightly visible abdomen, though it was harder to see because he was wearing such a baggy looking winter coat. No doubt feeling that he was being watched Nickolas looks up to see Jenner’s gaze then shares a small smile but the grey gelert turns his head to look the other way, trying to think of something to say. Anything. But all that was coming up in his mind was that now he was beginning to realize just how stupid this was, he had done this and he had this family who cared so much about him—they had more important things to worry about, his well being shouldn’t be on that list...and now he’s beginning to feel scared at just what will happen with himself. What is going to happen after this? Will he…he doesn’t know, it’s hard to think straight as is, let alone trying to think just what’s about to come.

 

“Is...uh…is the weather cold outside?”

 

“Hm?”

 

“You’re wearing a coat, Nicko, it’s nearly spring time isn’t it? The temperatures should be rising.”

 

“Oh, well sure.” Nickolas answers with a small laugh and he shrugs his shoulders, “I’ve been dreadfully cold though, freezing in fact, and we don’t change the thermostat at home so I know it’s not just—Cal or Kanrik trying to play some silly joke on me.”

 

“I told you it was you. Before it was hot flashes and now it’s just—cold flashes or something.” Kanrik’s muffled tone came through again and though he doesn’t look up his body winces, as if knowing on instinct that at the precise moment he made the statement Nickolas throws an accusing glance his way. Jenner laughs a little, leaning back more into the comfort of the beads-filled pillow that he rested his head against and he continues to play with the tufts of hair on Kanrik’s head, this time he manages to make a very, very tiny braid using three small tufts on the back of his head. It might be the only form of fidgeting that he can do for the moment. He mentions to Nickolas that it might be best if he tries to go home, since the hospital was definitely colder than outside or the temperatures of his home but Nickolas shakes his head and refuses the offer.

 

“No, I want to stay here and keep you and Kanrik some company before the visiting hours are used up. I know for a fact Cal and I won’t be able to stay but we might be able to convince the nurses to let Kanrik stay here.” Nickolas states proudly and the minute he looks down at his lap he instantly recognizes that, yes, there was a book in his hand the entire time—er—well, the entire time after he and Kanrik had decided to go to the hospital’s giftshop to talk after the doctors had administered Jenner into his room. “Oh, right, almost forgot about this thing, I found this in the gift shop with Kanrik.” the blonde leans over just a bit to rest the book he held onto Jenner’s lap, it was a hard cover and it had what looked like to be a broken bridge in a forest on the cover’s photo, the title was in cursive and read: ‘Night on the Bridge’. “It’s a book with different poets from over the years, granted, they’re from our time but I gave it a quick read in the waiting room and they’re quite good. I was hoping it was a mystery or a thriller, since you seem to be fascinated with those genres as well.”

 

“Thank you, my friend.” Jenner flips through the pages of the book with his thumb so the pages all fell through like turning leaves, he stops on a random page and once he began to skim it over, found out it was about a man who was walking through the woods one night and saw of what looked like to be a life of another man’s past a bridge, but when he decides to cross over to the other side he discovered that it was actually his own future he had saw. Jenner nods sincerely and closes the book, it was going to be a very interesting read indeed. “I can’t wait to read this, thank you again.”

 

“Oh, he’s still here.” even Kanrik had to look up and make sure that it was Cathal who had made the comment, the Christmas Gelert was grinning smugly and holding what looked like to be five or so different pudding cups and bottles of water in his arms, he barely got the chance to dodge Nickolas’ swat to his side when he came in after closing the door behind him. “What? I was just thinking aloud to myself while coming back up here: ‘well, if he isn’t here if I come back, then that means I could have his grimoire collection’--that’s all.”

 

“Over my dead body, Cal.” Jenner comments without a given thought, he takes a moment to pause and look down at himself thinking that he’s not really that far off, and with the same unfaltering tone he looks back up to his friend’s husband and replies, “Well—over my dead, _dead_ body I should say.” even with Nickolas shaking his head shamefully with a tired sigh and Kanrik’s horrified and puzzled glance being exchanged between Jenner and Cathal, the two older gelerts laugh among themselves. Cathal hands a small vanilla pudding cup to Jenner and a bottle of water, then hands the chocolate chip ones over to Nickolas and Kanrik before resting their bottles of water on the small bedside table and finally leaning against the wall to open up a small mint green colored looking pudding cup. “And which flavor did you get for yourself, friend?”

 

“Pistachio of course.” Cathal grins triumphantly, Nickolas manages to open up the pudding cup in his hands and look up to his husband asking if he can get a small serving from his, making his husband’s eyes widen in almost horror. “My love, you don’t like pistachio.” ‘I know’ Nickolas manages to hiss under his breath and it takes a solid minute before Cathal laughs and apologizes, holding a small spoonful in front of his spouse’s face. “Glad to know the baby’s just like me, loves pistachio flavored anything.” Nickolas manages to take the serving into his mouth and shudder at the taste, then whimpers sadly as he chews on the pistachio pieces that were in the pudding then swallows with another shudder. It truly was a sad sight to behold...besides the other sight of Jenner struggling to get the little foil lid off of his pudding cup, Kanrik reaches over instead to grab the dessert from his hands and open it for him.

Though the way that Kanrik opens the pudding cups has to be the most unethical thing that Jenner has ever seen, the young gelert manages to stab a hole through the ultra thin foil lid of the pudding cup and proceeded to hand it over to Jenner after brutally ripping it apart, then did the exact thing to his own cup before eating chocolate chip bits of monstrosity and questionable colored pudding. Jenner looks down in horror at his own pudding cup and then to Kanrik’s, back to his own, then to Cathal and Nickolas who didn’t seemed in the less curious or distress as to what their nephew had just done before them, then turn his attention back to Kanrk. “Um, Kani—you _do_ know that there’s little flaps on these lids to open them right? You had no reason to stab the pudding container.”

 

“You mean these things?” Kanrik asks holding onto one of the torn pieces in the air and then dropping it into the small trashcan next to him, “These little things that don’t fucking work?” Jenner shamefully shakes his head again and manages to scoop himself a small serving of pudding, though didn’t bother to eat it yet so he can answer back.

 

“They _do_ work, dearest, you just have to use it _correctly_.”

 

“Correctly, shmorrectly.” Kanrik mutters rolling his eyes so dramatically that he couldn’t help but tilt his head back in the midst of it, he hesitates a minute to make sure that Jenner had began to eat first before he does, and even after one small scoop he waits about a solid minute or so just to make sure that Jenner could hold everything down. So far, everything seems fine and so Kanrik helps himself to the chocolate, ‘cookie’ and chocolate chips in the pudding. Just in case, he can’t help but just...no, no, no he’s in the middle of eating—he won’t think about it now. Let’s, uh, focus on something else—y’know this pudding color is really not appetizing… “How’d you think they make the cookie part in this taste like cookie? Or, rather, why they would make the cookie parts that color?”

 

“I dunno...” Jenner musters eyeing the suspiciously colored dessert in Kanrik’s hand, he looks over to Nickolas’ pudding cup and realizes that the only reason why the uncle’s looks so different is because he mixed the layers all together, like a normal person would he guesses. “Does it actually taste like—a cookie?” ‘Uhhh’ the younger gelert manages to say and take another spoonful and let it sit on his tongue for a few silent moments, he shrugs his shoulders, shakes his head and then took a small bit on the edge of his spoon to hold it up to Jenner’s face and offer him some, saying that he should try it and see.

 

“Kanrik, it’s bad enough that he’s here—spare him the torment.” Cathal scolds, though he flinches in getting ready to be hit by Nickolas again for making a darker joke, he’s surprised that nothing came. The blonde is still eating his small dessert cup as well and he actually agrees with Cathal with a few hurried nods and more eating, mentioning ‘if he’s not a huge fan of chocolate than he definitely won’t like this pudding’. “I thought you liked that shit, my dear.”

 

“Chocolate chip cookies inside pudding? That sounds delicious, that’s great. Chocolate pudding as well, I love chocolate to death. But chocolate chip _flavored_ pudding? That shit’s unnatural, it reads ‘unnatural’ on the lable of course—they’re trying to cover it up by saying there’s natural ingredients in it as well.”

 

“I honestly feel so attacked right now.” Kanrik groans still holding up the spoon to his boyfriend’s face, even after Jenner musters up the courage to give it a taste, he looks over just in time to see the soured looking expression twist the grey gelert’s face and he laughs a little. “It’s good, right?”

 

“Oh no, nooo, no, no, no.” Jenner tries to rid the taste by eating two more spoonfuls of vanilla pudding and then he desperately grabs the bottled water that Cathal had handed over to him, “That—Fyora’s might, that was disgusting--” Jenner, surprisingly, manages to open the bottle of water by himself just with the sheer willpower of wanting something to flush the horrible flavoring out of his mouth. Before he even takes a sip Nickolas tells him just to take two sips of water, just in case, since his stomach might have gotten smaller from all the trauma. The grey gelert claims that he understands and he takes the much needed sips of water, swishing the liquid around before swallowing it and then taking just one more final drink, refreshed at getting the faint taste of just plain mineral water on his tongue.

 

“Hey!” his boyfriend pouts, his feelings clearly hurt because of his sense of taste.

 

“--Kani, that doesn’t even _taste_ like cookies that is just—just sugar flavored pudding, that’s what it is. With chocolate death chips inside and chocolate pudding….ughh.” Jenner groans though he’s laughing a little as he leans back against his two beaded pillows again, one of his hands grip his side and he’s still genuinely laughing. “I think I feel it all going to my pancreas now….”

 

“Har, har.” Kanrik mutters giving Jenner’s leg a good poke with the back of his spoon.

 

The night began to climb on for the family and for the friend who stayed in the bed, desperate to recover from his accident. It was very late for them when they had gotten the okay from the doctors to come see Jenner, and even now as they sat around together, laughing at musings and jokes, or sharing the same as ever family and neighborly gossip they would usually share over a nice dinner together, they didn’t really realize that it was just on the brink of becoming morning until a nurse had came in to check on Jenner. She told Cathal and Nickolas that visiting hours had been done for almost two hours already but the doctors and other officials completely understood how family was important for the healing process so they had let them stay, it had been one of the fastest that someone’s mood has changed after having an episode like Jenner’s. Nickolas managed to lean over and give Jenner a much needed hug as a goodbye, stating that he will see him in the afternoon and he will bring with him another book or maybe a new journal and writing tools so he can have something to do. Cathal pats the grey gelert on the shoulder and then they share a soft handshake, he had to work late tomorrow but he will definitely see him the day after, they can watch one of their usual programs together that night—the one program that has the whole group of treasure hunters on some danger riddled island hoping to find the lost treasures that are lost there. Jenner exclaims that he can’t wait.

 

The only one who still refused to leave was Kanrik.

 

The nurse said that he could stay, she doubts that any of the other doctors might ask about their relationship status or anything like that so they can just play it off that Kanrik didn’t really know the visiting hours or something. She was really understanding, kind too, she was nice enough to bring a pillow and a small blanket so that Kanrik didn’t have to sleep in the cold. Jenner didn’t really need to prepare for anything so that he can attempt in getting some sleep, he was already in bed all tucked in after all, Kanrik on the other hand had a ‘plan’ to get some sleep ‘comfortably’. The young gelert took the chair he sat in and the other guest chair and pushed them together to make a ‘bed’. One chair facing correctly and the other the opposite direction so that his feet pressed against the padding on the backrest. What amazed Jenner though was that when Kanrik was in a slight fetal position he looked like he was comfortably laying in the two chairs, his boyfriend sighs, placing the bead pillow under his head and bringing the thin blanket up over to under his chin, he lets one arm out from the covers so that he reaches over and grabs Jenner’s hand with it. The grey gelert smiles and squeezes back.

 

“Good night, Jenry. I love you.”

 

“Good night, Kani...I love you too.” Kanrik closes his eyes with a sigh and his grip loosens just the slightest bit but doesn’t let go of Jenner’s interlaced fingers. Unknowing to him that Jenner is still watching him, at least for a moment before he turns his head to look up at the ceiling and just keep staring, taking in the faint lights from cars passing by in front of the hospital, the smell of pudding—hospital food—and medicines in the room and finally after a few more silent seconds, the light sound of Kanrik’s soft sigh-like snores.

 

“And I’m sorry.”


End file.
